HR Matters Update: Filling Vacancies, Vetting Officials, Promotions & Career Development

1. BRIEFING ON HR MATTERS 13 JUNE 2011

2. DISCUSSION UPDATE ON HUMAN RESOURCES RELATED MATTERS: • FILLING OF VACANCIES • VETTING OF OFFICIALS • PROMOTIONS AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT POLICIES • DCS SKILLS PROGRAMMES • MANAGEMENT OF SUSPENSIONS

3. FILLING OF VACANCIES BRIEFING ON HR MATTERS – JUNE 2011

4. INTRODUCTION • The current structure was approved in 2003/4, requiring DCS to have approximately 60 000 posts. • By 2007/08 DCS funded post establishment was 46 874. In 2007/08 however, due to DCS’s consistent inability to maintain a reasonable vacancy rate of 5%, National Treasury suspended R522 million from DCS compensation of employees baseline, with intention that once DCS could prove ability to fill vacant posts, that suspended amount would be reintroduced into the baseline. • On 15 August 2008 DCS declared a partial moratorium on the filling of vacancies in order to fund requirement to pay for overtime as per Resolution 1 of 2007. • In 2009/10, DCS funded the OSD once-off payment and the OSD translation through maintaining a 100% moratorium, which resulted in a projected funded staffing level of 41 500 and an actual staffing level of 40 953 as of 31 March 2010.

5. PROGRESS REPORT ON THE FILLING OF VACANCIES • A decision was taken in February 2010 to start advertising posts to ensure vacancies were filled. However this advertising was delayed due to the need to determine which posts were Public Service Act posts and which were Correctional Services Act posts. • On the 1 July 2010, a decision was taken by senior management, to uplift the moratorium for filling of posts. • A total of 3135 posts has since been advertised on various levels and occupations. • Of the advertised posts, 1745 post have been filled. • A detailed plan has been put in place to address the variance.

6. STATISTICS ON THE NUMBER OF POSTS ADVERTISED AND FILLED PER REGION

7. PLAN OF ACTION TO ADDRESS THE VARIANCE

8. WHAT WE ARE DOING TO IMPROVE OUR TURNAROUND TIME FOR FILLING OF POSTS • Quantitative (Right Numbers) • Reviewing all current posts that have been advertised; • Track and monitoring the progress of all advertised funded posts; • Provide regional targets and monitor progress of regional funded posts; • Provide monthly and quarterly reports on the status of filling vacant funded posts; • Monitoring targets set for each branch as per the operational plans for 2011; and • Tracking and monitoring the quarterly targets as per the Annual Performance Plan. • Qualitative (Right Process & Right People) • Refinement of filling of vacant posts process; • Implementation of advertising process and timelines; • Reduce the cost of advertising funded posts; • Reducing all back-log advertisements and gross listing of post to 0% ; and • Reduce time from advertisement of posts, to appointment of candidate to 90 days • Qualitative (Right Positions) • PERSAL team to ensure correct titles and salary scales for advertised posts; • HR Planning to ensure correct Job Description to support the advertised post, to attacked the right calibre of individuals; • Selection team, securing the right panel for the short listing and interviews.

9. WAY FORWARD • In order for DCS to perform optimally, capacity and capability is required, of which we have a huge shortage; • With the high volume of internal transfers or promotions, we are having challenges of skills mismatch; • There is a need to introduce a different skills set from the market in order to strengthen and sustain organisational competencies; • The current vacancy levels demand that this is addressed urgently and this will also address issues of unemployment in the country; • The vacancy rate is not sufficiently addressed through internal appointments; and • The high levels of vacancy also mean that the work load on individuals is increased, resulting in employee morale, quality and turnaround times being compromised.

10. VETTING OF OFFICIALS BRIEFING ON HR MATTERS – JUNE 2011

11. SECURITY STANDARDS INPUTS The Portfolio Committee will be assessing the DCS on progress made in vetting officials (as per the Sep 2007 decision  the DCS may vet its own officials) RESPONSE: The total number of clearances issued to the DCS Employees since 2007 to date is 709. The breakdown of clearances is as follows: The total no. of Confidential clearances issued is 658. The total no. for Secret Clearances issued is 37. The total no. for Top Secret clearances issued is 14.

12. PROMOTIONS &CAREER DEVELOPMENT BRIEFING ON HR MATTERS – JUNE 2011

13. PROMOTION AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT POLICIES • The department does not have a promotion policy which is a situation not unique to the DCS but to all public service departments in the main. • In terms of the Public Service Sectoral Bargaining Council (PSCBC) Resolution 7 of 2000 interchangeable promotions was phased out. • As a result of this PSCBC Resolution no promotions were granted and appointments to vacant higher positions were managed through posts advertisement. • Subsequently , all vacant posts were internally and externally advertised to promote open competition and attract competent skilled people outside government.

14. PROMOTION AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT POLICIES • During 2005-2008 the department implemented an Interim Promotion Arrangement for production levels between salary levels 5-7 custodial and support personnel. • The aim of the Interim Promotion Arrangement was to address the lack of upward mobility opportunities for correctional officials. • The introduction of the PSCBC 1 of 2007 provided for the upward and horizontal mobility opportunities for all occupational groups. • As of 2009 onwards the Interim Promotion Arrangement was no longer applicable/valid.

15. PROMOTION AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT POLICIES • The principles contained in the PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2007 were negotiated and further incorporates into different OSD resolutions one of which is the General Public Service Sectoral Bargaining Council (GPSSBC) Resolution 2 of 2009: OSD for Correctional Officials. • The main thrust of all the OSDs is the implementation of the career pathing opportunities inclusive of pay progression, grade progression, translation between occupations and set criteria for appointments to higher positions etc. • Since 2008 the department has implemented a number of OSD with a resultant employees being translated to various supervisory or managerial positions.

16. PROMOTION AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT POLICIES • A Draft Integrated Performance and Career Management Policy and the Draft Career Pathing Framework for employees which include the principles of pay progressions and grade progression, translations between occupations, transfer or redeployment of employees, vertical and horizontal mobilitlity is available and once all the process of consultation with key stakeholders has been exhausted will be submitted for approval. • All advertisements, appointments, translations and promotions in the department are dealt with in terms the various OSD requirements.

17. Dcs skills programmes BRIEFING ON HR MATTERS – JUNE 2011

18. SKILLS PROGRAMMES – 2011/12

19. SKILLS PROGRAMMES – 2011/12

20. SKILLS PROGRAMMES – 2011/12

21. SKILLS PROGRAMMES – 2011/12

22. SKILLS PROGRAMMES – 2011/12

23. The current structure of the department was approved in 2003/4, requiring DCS to have approximately 60 000 posts. By 2007/08 the DCS funded post establishment was 46 874. In 2007/08 however, due to DCS’s consistent inability to maintain a reasonable vacancy rate of 5%, National Treasury suspended R522 million from the DCS compensation of employees baseline, with the intention that once DCS could prove the ability to fill vacant posts, that suspended amount would be reintroduced into the baseline. In 2008/9 the Department declared a partial moratorium on the filling of vacancies in order to fund the requirement to pay for overtime as per Resolution 1 of 2007. In 2009/10, the Department funded the OSD once-off payment and the OSD translation through maintaining the moratorium, which resulted in a projected funded staffing level of 41 500 and an actual staffing level of 40 953 as of 31 March 2010. In 2010/11 a number of significant events took place, particularly at the Senior Management level. These included key appointments, resignations and transfers. The detail if these events is reported is in detail under the Accounting Officer’s Report on pages xxx to xxxx. SKILLS PROGRAMMES – 2011/12 • Programmes to be offered in conjunction with SASSETA • Fraud and Risk Management • ODETDP • Monitoring and Evaluation • Emotional Intelligence • Emerging Managers • Women Empowerment • Control Room Operators • Project Management

24. SUSPENSION MANAGMENET BRIEFING ON HR MATTERS – JUNE 2011

25. DCS SUSPENSION POLICY • Precautionary Suspension forms part of DCS Disciplinary Code & Procedure (Clause 7.4) • May only suspend in the following cases: • Suspect involvement in serious misconduct impacting on trust relationship; • Threats to fellow employees, inmates; • Possible interference with investigation • May not suspend arbitrarily; • May not suspend without remuneration; • May suspend after guilty verdict and sanction of dismissal awaiting outcome of appeal; • Guideline – suspension should not be for longer than 30 days, however, depending the complexity of the misconduct, suspension can be for a longer period and must be motivated; • Suspensions should be reviewed weekly.

28. CONCLUSION • The management of suspensions improved substantively over the past years. Long pending cases were dramatically reduced . On 31 March 2011 (for the first time in 5 years) no suspensions pending for longer than 12 months were recorded. • Managers are still not complying with the Suspension Policy with specific reference to time frames; • Suspensions are not reviewed frequently; • Delays in finalizing investigations and disciplinary hearings are at the order of the day; • Internal control mechanisms (suspension registers) are not in place all-over and are not monitored; • A general lack of supervision – monitor and control; • Capacity (human power and training) in Management Areas remains a problem.

29. WAY FORWARD • RC’s should engage Area Commissioners to ensure compliance to the Suspension Policy and time frames; • The management of employee discipline is a line management responsibility and should form a KRA in the performance plan of all managers; • The quantum paid to employees on suspension should be monitored and RC’s, AC’s and Heads of Institutions should be held accountable.